On-board re-inflatable containment boom and control system

ABSTRACT

An on-board re-inflatable containment boom for a waterborne vessel that lies substantially flat and capable of being spooled when deflated and floats in the proper orientation when inflated, that has re-inflatable float sections which are sequentially inflated during deployment and sequentially deflated during recovery, that can be repeatedly deployed and recovered for the purposes of training and testing, and that can be deployed immediately upon occurrence of an oil spill from a waterborne vessel because of its on-board location and its rapid deployment, and a control system for proper inflation and deflation of re-inflatable containment boom during deployment and recovery.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of application Ser. No.14/730,778, filed on Jun. 4, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,487,926, titled“On-Board Re-Inflatable Containment Boom and Control System,” which is aContinuation in Part claiming priority of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 12/902,282 filed 12 Oct. 2010, titled “ONBOARD OIL CONTAINMENTSYSTEM” (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,206,575), the full disclosures of which areincorporated by reference herein and priority of which is herebyclaimed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides an on-board re-inflatable containment boom for awaterborne vessel that can be repeatedly deployed and recovered for thepurposes of training and testing, and that can be deployed immediatelyupon occurrence of an oil spill from a waterborne vessel, and a controlsystem for proper inflation and deflation during deployment andrecovery.

For many years conventional floating oil booms or barriers have beenused in an attempt to contain floating material, such as hydrocarbons,on the surface, or just below the surface, of a body of water.Conventional floating booms are either housed on a shore based responsevessel or on land usually miles or hours away from the spill site in adeflated state. When needed these booms are deployed by attaching theleading end of the boom to a deployment vessel which tows the boom intoplace and inflates the boom from the leading end. These booms arenormally comprised of an elongated tubular body, sometimes sectionedinto self-contained inflatable gas bladders, that is produced by theinflation of a sealed tube, or each inflatable gas bladder, to which anoil confining skirt or flap suitable for containing floatable materialis attached. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,682,151 and 3,494,132which disclose a series of plastic tubes which are interconnected bysleeves with the plastic tubes then being inflated to achieve theinflated state. Also, see for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,325,653 thatdiscloses dual inflatable tubes with a skirt in between with saidinflatable tubes being inflated with external inflatable gas hoses.

Also, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,123,911 which discloses a gas-inflatable boomwherein a single inflatable boom is inflated from an inflatable gassupply on the deploying vessel. All the patents cited above contemplateinflation from the leading edge of the boom one section at a time and donot disclose any method of the continuous inflation of the boom from asingle inflatable gas source originating at the lagging last-off sectionof boom that runs concurrently with the boom, nor do they discloseinflation from an inflatable gas source already connected to the boomprior to deployment.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,792,589 discloses a collapsible boom containing anindividual inflation chamber, however each inflation chamber must beconnected to an inflatable gas supply and inflated separately as theboom is deployed. This greatly increases the time and complexity ofinflation and deployment. U.S. Pat. No. 3,792,589 makes no mention of anequalized, pressurized inflatable gas supply running concurrently withthe boom to allow for rapid inflation.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,785 discloses a method wherein a reactant body iscontained within the boom itself such that by mechanical action thereactants can be activated to release an inflating gas by chemicalreaction. After inflation by chemical reaction of the reactant the boomis inflated with pressurized inflatable gas from the first off, orleading, end to ensure proper inflation. Thus the boom may only be useda single time and then must be replaced.

Both U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,022,785 and 5,346,329 disclose individualizedcompartments or compartments separated by valves for the purpose ofpreventing deflation of an entire section of boom. Neither of thesepatents discloses an inflatable gas being supplied to the individualcompartment from an external, individualized source.

Thus the above patents and current practices employed to respond todischarges of floatable material on water surfaces, such ashydrocarbons, fail to disclose a rapidly deployable system incorporatinga retaining boom that can be deployed from a single point without needfor multiple power sources, which can withstand ruptures and leaks. Thepatents recited above also are restricted in the functional length of asingle floating barrier, or boom, because they lack an inflatable gasdelivery line that runs concurrently with the entire length of boom.Further, current methods and practices require that vessels for thedeployment and inflation of the boom, containment machinery, and boomsbe transported, often from considerable distances, to the site of adischarge on the water. This delay results in increased, un-containeddischarges of toxins onto the water. Consequently, it is an object ofthis present invention to provide for an on-site or on-board system thatincorporates a power system and inflatable gas supply to the winch-reelassembly and boom that will allow rapid boom deployment, control of thewinch-reel assembly and control, the rate of deployment of the boom froma reel or other storage area.

Another object of this invention is to provide for a power system forrewinding of deployed boom onto a reel or other storage area withoutinterruption to already inflated areas of the boom.

Another object of this invention is to provide a floating barrierdeployment system that can be deployed and inflated from a single pointinflatable gas supply originating from the lagging, or last-off, end ofthe boom.

Still another object of this invention is to supply inflatable gas tothe boom, or inflatable gas bladders or inflatable gas compartmentswithin the boom, from an individualized inflation point directlyassociated with the specific boom for inflatable gas bladders orinflatable gas compartments within the boom, said inflatable gas supplyoriginating from the inflatable gas delivery hose in the proximity ofthe lagging, or last-off, end of the boom and having an equalizedinternal pressure not exceeding the pressure containing capabilities ofthe boom, or inflatable gas bladders or inflatable gas compartmentswithin the boom.

Still another object of this invention is to supply an inflatable gas tothe boom, or inflatable gas bladders or inflatable gas compartmentswithin the boom, from an individualized inflation point directlyassociated with the specific boom, or inflatable gas bladders orinflatable gas compartments within the boom, such that the inflatablegas is supplied through a hose running externally and concurrently withthe boom. This design allows for the boom to be continuously inflatedfrom an inflatable gas supply originating from the inflatable gasdelivery hose in the proximity of the non-leading, or last-off, end ofthe boom.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide inflating medium,such as air, to inflate the floating barrier from a single point supplythat can inflate the entire floating barrier and continuously maintaininflation of the floating barrier once deployed and inflated.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide for a containmentsystem that can be rapidly transported via helicopter to a dischargesite for rapid deployment.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a floating barrierdeployment system and floating barrier that is not limited in the lengthof the floating barrier that can be deployed, inflated and maintained inan inflated state.

Furthermore, it is an object of this invention to provide a controlmechanism for deployment, inflation and maintenance of a floatingbarrier that allows the operator to control, from a single point, therate of deployment and inflation of a floating barrier.

Yet another object of this invention is to allow for a floating barrierdeployment system and floating barrier to be housed on marine vessels orat stationary points, including without limitation docks, ports, shores,islands, seawalls, dikes, skimming vessels, barges, ocean going vessels,rescue vessels, drilling rigs, boats, pontoons, and platforms, or inclose proximity of the oil being transported, shipping lanes, or storedin the event of a spill.

Yet another object of this invention is to allow for the deployment,inflation, maintenance and directional control of the deployed andinflated boom without the use of a secondary deployment vehicle.

Still another object of this invention is to allow for the directionalcontrol of the deployed, inflated boom without the benefit of asecondary deployment vessel.

Additionally, it is an object of this invention to deploy thecontainment system without requiring the use of electrical supply orelectrical controls.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an on-board re-inflatable containmentboom for a waterborne vessel that lies substantially flat and capable ofbeing spooled when deflated and floats in the proper orientation wheninflated, that has re-inflatable float sections which are sequentiallyinflated during deployment and sequentially deflated during recovery,that can be repeatedly deployed and recovered for the purposes oftraining and testing, and that can be deployed immediately uponoccurrence of an oil spill from a waterborne vessel because of itson-board location and its rapid deployment, and a control system forproper inflation and deflation during deployment and recovery.

The on-board re-inflatable containment boom and control system adapt tochanging circumstances of atmospheric pressure, air and watertemperatures and turbulence, speed of deployment or recovery, and sizeof boom, and provides updated optimal positive and negative pneumaticpressures to facilitate operation without damage to the boom and withoutpremature or delayed inflation or deflation.

The on-board re-inflatable containment boom and control system allows animmediate, effective response to an oil spill or other contaminate spillby utilizing a containment boom that is already on board a vessel, canbe deployed very quickly, and can be deployed, recovered, andre-deployed many times, for training and testing of personnel andequipment, which leads to more effective responses to actual oil spills.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the drawings, wherein like parts aredesignated by like numerals, and wherein

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the invention being inflated and deployed.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway view of the re-inflatable containment boomof the invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view illustrating the re-inflatable containmentboom of the invention inflated.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustrating the re-inflatable containmentboom of the invention deflated.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the filling and emptying valves of there-inflatable containment boom of the invention being inflated.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the filling and emptying valves of there-inflatable containment boom of the invention being deflated.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the filling and emptying valves of there-inflatable containment boom of the invention in use.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the invention being deflated andrecovered.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the control system of the invention inuse.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the control display of the invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of the invention in use in a favorablecurrent.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of the invention in use in an unfavorablecurrent.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, our invention provides an on-board re-inflatablecontainment boom 10 capable of being deployed and recovered for trainingand testing purposes, and of being deployed in the event of an oil spillor similar floating contamination of water, under the control of apneumatic control system 50 monitored and controlled by an operatorthrough a control display 54.

Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the on-board re-inflatable containmentboom 10 has re-inflatable float sections 17 which are sequentiallyinflated during deployment and sequentially deflated during recovery,causing the containment boom to float in the proper orientation wheninflated, with the containment skirt 18 suspended below the surface ofthe water, and causing the containment boom to lie substantially flatand capable of being spooled and stored when deflated. When deployed,the containment boom sits in a substantially vertical orientation withan upper edge and an upper portion lying above the waterline, and alower edge and a lower portion lying below the waterline.

The upper-to-lower dimension of the re-inflatable containment boom 10,and the dimensions of the re-inflatable float sections 17 and thecontainment skirt 18 will depend upon the nature and conditions of thebody of water, the work being performed, and the possible oil orcontaminate spillage that might be encountered. Deeper offshore waterand larger waves will require a longer skirt and proportionately largerfloat sections than shallower near-shore or inland water will,generally. In a preferred embodiment, the upper-to-lower dimension ofthe re-inflatable containment boom is between 3 feet and 5 feet,inclusive, with the containment skirt comprising very roughly 60 percentof that distance, and the float sections, when deflated, comprising mostof the remainder of that distance.

Referring to FIG. 2, the re-inflatable containment boom 10 isconstructed from a flexible non-permeable sheet material 11 such as apolymeric plastic. The sheet material should be waterproof,petrochemical-proof, dispersant and solvent-proof, and should hold airpressure. Creation of the re-inflatable float sections 17 from a doublethickness of sheet material can be accomplished by making heat-welded orsolvent-welded seams, or by gluing. The sheet material and the seamsforming the float sections should be capable of holding air pressure inthe range of from 1 to at least 6 p.s.i. without bursting or otherwisefailing, and a failure threshold of 10 p.s.i. would be desirable toprovide a large margin of error.

A portion of the flexible non-permeable sheet material 11 forms thecontainment skirt 18 of the re-inflatable containment boom 10.

A control rope 12, ballast chain 13, and incorporated air hose 14 areattached either onto or within channels constructed into the flexiblenon-permeable sheet material 11 forming the re-inflatable containmentboom 10. In a preferred embodiment, all three are contained in separatechannels formed by seaming an additional layer of sheet material, eitherby folding the sheet material against itself, or by adding a new stripof sheet material.

The control rope 12 is a primary strength and control member of thecontainment boom, is attached onto or within a channel at the upperedge, and sits on top of the containment boom when deployed, so that thedeployed containment boom can be manipulated and moved as needed.Because the control rope sits on top of the float sections, the use of alighter-weight material or even of a buoyant material for the controlrope is beneficial as long as it possesses sufficient tensile strength.

The ballast chain 13 provides a secondary strength and control memberand provides adequate ballast weight to pull the containment skirt 18downward under water when deployed. A non-buoyant cable or rope which isheavy or heavy when wet can be used as a ballast chain. The weight ofthe ballast chain should not be so great as to submerge the inflatedfloat sections when deployed. The buoyancy of the inflated floatsections will vary with the size and intended use of a given length ofcontainment boom, and an optimal weight for ballast chain can bedetermined in relation to such buoyancy.

The incorporated air hose 14 attached either onto or within channelsconstructed into the flexible non-permeable sheet material 11 formingthe re-inflatable containment boom 10 runs the length of the containmentboom, and has connectors at each end which allow separate long lengthsof containment boom to be coupled to each other. The incorporated airhose should be capable of delivering positive air pressure of at least 6p.s.i., optimally 10 p.s.i., over a long run of at least several hundredfeet, and of withstanding a vacuum or negative air pressure of at least−10 p.s.i. without collapsing. In a preferred embodiment, theincorporated air hose 14 is placed at the bottom of the float sections17 and near the middle portion of the containment boom 10, to avoidsolar heating or cooling variations and to take advantage of beingsurrounded by relatively constant water temperatures.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, each re-inflatable floatsection 17 is seen in pneumatic connection with the incorporated airhose 14 through a filling valve 15 and an emptying valve 16. Both valvesare pressure-calibrated one-way or check valves, which can be physicallyseparate, can be housed in a common casing, or can be a combinationvalve performing the two functions. The filling valve 15 and theemptying valve 16 each respond to pressure differentials of differentset thresholds between the pressure in the incorporated air hose 14,which is substantially the same all along the long run of theincorporated air hose, and the internal air pressure in each individualfloat section.

The filling valve 15 allows the entry of air from the incorporated airhose 14 into the float section 17 up to a closing threshold of thetarget optimal pressure for the float section, where the float sectionis sufficiently buoyant but not in danger of bursting or otherwisefailing from over pressure. This target optimal pressure will vary withthe dimension of containment booms for different uses and conditions. Ina preferred embodiment, for a containment boom of deployed verticallength of 3 feet to 5 feet, the target optimal pressure for the floatingsections is from 1 to 6 p.s.i., more preferably from 2.5 to 5 p.s.i.Therefore the closing threshold of the filling valve would be from 2.5to 5 p.s.i.

The emptying valve 16 allows evacuation of the air from a float sectionwhen a vacuum or negative air pressure over an opening threshold iscreated in the incorporated air hose 14, but does not allow air toescape from a float section that is properly inflated at the targetoptimal pressure when there is only a small differential in pressurebetween the float section and the air hose. The emptying valve also actsas a safety release valve to release pressure from a float section thatmight be experiencing an overpressure condition resulting from somethingsuch as solar heating, as long as the pressure in the air hose is notsimilarly overpressured, and therefore a pressure differential exceedingthe opening threshold exists. The opening threshold pressuredifferential should be from 2 to 3 times the target optimal pressure forthe float section, therefore, in a preferred embodiment, from 5 to 15p.s.i.

Referring again primarily to FIG. 1 (deployment) and FIG. 8 (recovery)the deflated, un-deployed containment boom is stored upon and deployedand recovered from a mountable reversible boom deployment unit 20comprising a mountable spool of deflated boom 21 on a spool-mountingframe 22 driven at variable controllable speeds in outbound and inbounddirections by a spool motor 23. Each mountable spool of deflated boom 21contains a long length of containment boom, varying according to size ofboom needed for specific conditions and size and weight considerationfor the boom deployment unit on the deck of a specific vessel. More thanone spool of deflated boom is anticipated to be carried on a vessel, sothat multiple spools of boom can be deployed or recovered consecutively.The leading and trailing edges of the containment boom on any givenspool of deflated boom are fitted with standard connector fittings knownin the art and approved by overseeing entities, allowing multiplespooled sections of boom to be physically connected edge to edge, andpneumatically connected air hose to air hose. In a preferred embodiment,each mountable spool of deflated boom 21 is approximately 6 feet indiameter and deep enough to accommodate the 3 to 5 feet dimension of thedeflated boom.

When a spool of deflated boom 21 is mounted on the spool-mounting frame22 the standard pneumatic connector on the incorporated air hose 14 atthe center of the spool, at the trailing edge of that length ofcontainment boom, is connected to the pneumatic control pathway 30 whichsupplies the incorporated air hose, and the entire length of anyconnected incorporated air hoses, with variable and controlled positiveand negative air pressures. Due to the weight of the boom 10 as it iswound on the spool 21, the inflation of the boom 10 will not take placeat the force of 0.5 lbs. per square inch until the boom comes off of thespool 21.

Positive air pressures are obtained from a compressed air source 41,which could be a vessel's common compressed air supply or a dedicatedair compressor, and a vacuum source 42, which could be a vacuum pump.The initial supply of compressed air should be at relatively highpressure in order to ensure a steady flow of lower pressure into theincorporated air hose of a section of containment boom being deployed.

In a preferred embodiment, having a target optimal pressure of 3 p.s.i.,the deflated containment boom 10 while still wrapped on the spool 21will not tend to inflate when the incorporated air hose 14 contains apositive 3 p.s.i. of air pressure because that low level of pressurecannot overcome the pressure of even a fairly loose wrapping on thespool. As the deflated containment boom comes off of the spool duringdeployment, each consecutive float section 17 will quickly accept 3p.s.i. of air pressure through that section's filling valve 15. Anadequate flow of air is needed at that stage in order to quickly fillthat section to capacity before or just as that section goes into thewater. After the initial deployment, individual float sections will besubject to fluctuations in pressure due to warming or cooling effects ofsun, air, and water. If a float section's pressure goes below theclosing threshold of the filling valve 15, which is the target optimalpressure, 3 p.s.i. for this embodiment, the filling valve will open andaccept air from the incorporated air hose 14, which is maintained atoptimal pressure or 3 p.s.i. during the time the containment boom is inthe water. If a deployed float section's pressure goes above the optimalpressure in the incorporated air hose to double or triple the optimalpressure, or 6 to 9 p.s.i. here, the emptying valve 16 will open becausethe pressure-differential threshold will have been reached, and theexcess pressure from that section will go into the lower-pressureincorporated air hose.

During recovery, a negative air pressure or vacuum is applied to theincorporated air hose 14, of a magnitude of at least the emptying valvepressure-differential threshold plus the target optimal pressure, sothat a float section at, say, a half-pound of pressure would still befurther emptied because its emptying valve will still be open. Asrecovered containment boom is wound back onto the spool, the consecutivefloat section closest to the spool will most readily give up air to thevacuum applied to the incorporated air hose and will collapse to bere-wound flat on the spool. The vacuum will weaken at points furtherdown the still-deployed containment boom, because the air given up bythe closest float sections will weaken it, and the still-deployedcontainment boom will not lose its buoyancy while still in the water,which would make recovery more difficult.

In order to ensure the quick inflation and deflation of float sectionsbefore they go into and after they come out of the water, and to allowthe containment boom to adjust to changing conditions while deployed,accurate and ongoing control and adjustment of the pressure or vacuum inthe incorporated air hose 14 is required, and is supplied by thepneumatic control pathway 30 controlled by the control system 50.

The pneumatic control pathway 30 has at least one pressure sensor 37, ata point closest to, and at equal pressure with, the incorporated airhose 14, at least one pressure regulating valve 32, 34, 36 to reducehigher pressures to lower pressures having a sufficiently high flowrate, and at least one vacuum and release valve 38 to bleed off any highback pressure and to apply negative pressure for deflation. In apreferred embodiment, the pneumatic control pathway 30 steps the airpressure down in 2 stages and then releases low pressure into theincorporated air hose in another separate stage, comprising a highpressure sensor 31, a high-to-medium pressure air valve 32 to step thepressure down, a medium pressure sensor 33, a medium-to-low pressure airvalve 34 to step the pressure down further, a low pressure sensor 35, alow pressure air valve 36 to release low pressure into the incorporatedair hose, an incorporated-air-hose pressure sensor 37 constantlymonitoring the actual pressure at the incorporated air hose, includingany back pressure from deployed sections of boom, and a vacuum andrelease valve 38 for bleeding off any excess pressure and for applyingnegative pressure either for extreme pressure corrections or fordeflating and recovering containment boom.

The control system 50 automatically controls the pneumatic controlpathway 30 in coordination with the rate that containment boom isdeployed out or recovered in by the speed and direction of the spoolmotor 23. The desired direction and speed of the spool motor, andtherefore the desired rate of deployment or recovery, is ultimately setby an operator, through a control display 54. To the extent that theoperator-set speed can be realized, and responding to changingconditions such as changes in the air supply or changes in theincorporated-air-hose pressure caused by, say, transition between air atone temperature and water at another temperature, or failure of anindividual float section, the control system 50 finely adjusts the speedof the spool motor in coordination with adjustments of the appliedpositive or negative air pressures from the pneumatic control pathway30, resulting in the proper quick inflation or deflation of theappropriate float sections 17 before those sections go into or afterthose sections come out of the water, avoiding the undesirable sinkingeffects of deploying boom with under-pressured float sections into thewater or recovering boom with under-pressured float sections from thewater.

The control system 50 comprises a control manifold 51 in communicationwith a control display 54 through which an operator can exert controlover deployment or recovery and can monitor the deployment or recoveryoperations. In a preferred embodiment, such bidirectional controlcommunication is implemented as wireless signals through a controlmanifold antenna 52 and a control display antenna 53.

Referring to FIG. 9 & FIG. 10, basic deployment and recovery operationscan be managed through a few simple commands from the operator. Butdeployment of containment boom around an actual oil spill, and trainingand testing in preparation for an actual oil spill, is a seriousundertaking subject to regulatory oversight and carrying a threat ofsevere penalties, and therefore justifies a greater amount ofautomatically assisted operator control, and a large amount of datareported and recorded or logged by the system. Such data can be used toanalyze and improve training and testing, and in the event of an oilspill can be used to improve the effectiveness of the response in realtime and to have a detailed record of the response for post-oil-spillanalysis, investigations, or litigation.

In a preferred embodiment, a control house 60 is provided to house thecontrol display 54 equipment and operator during all weather conditions.If the control house is remote from the mountable reversible boomdeployment unit 20, an observation camera 61 having an observationcamera transmit antenna 62 can be mounted at the deployment unit, withits video signal sent to be received by the observation camera receiveantenna 63 at the control house 60. A weather station 64 reportingconditions can be included, too.

For full control, reporting, and recording of deployment or recoveryoperations, the control display 54 can have a control manifold keyboard55 through which an operator can exert automatically assisted control ofthe operations, a control manifold display 56 reporting all or selectedreal-time data from the control manifold 51, an observation cameradisplay 57 showing the operations in real time, a weather and conditionsdisplay 58, and logged-data display 59 showing real-time data as it isbeing recorded or showing logged data for reference or review.

In use, in a preferred embodiment where the target optimal pressure forthe float sections 17 is 3 p.s.i., the closing threshold for the fillingvalves 15 is 3 p.s.i., and the opening threshold for the emptying valves16 is 6 p.s.i., in a deployment operation an operator would initiatethrough the control display 54 the deployment of an already-mountedspool 21 of deflated containment boom 10. The control manifold 51 causesthe spool motor 23 to rotate the spool in the appropriate direction atthe desired speed, deploying the containment boom. Simultaneously, thecontrol manifold 51 senses the pressure via pressure sensor 37 at equalpressure with the incorporated air hose 14, and sense the pressures atintermediate points using pressure sensors 31, 33, 35 in the pneumaticcontrol pathway 30. If activation of the compressed air source 41 isneeded, such activation is performed. The control manifold adjusts anyintermediate pressure control valve or valves 32, 34 in order to obtainan appropriate intermediate pressure at a point 35 on thehigher-pressure side of the low pressure air valve 36, and opens the lowpressure air valve to release the target optimal pressure of 3 p.s.i.through the pressure sensor 37 in the pneumatic control pathway 30 atequal pressure with the connected incorporated air hose 14. The floatsection 17 at the leading edge of the unspooling containment boom,starting at essentially no pressure, begins quickly pressurizing becausethe filling valve 15 stays open and accepting air from the incorporatedair hose until pressure in that float section reaches the closingthreshold of 3 p.s.i. At that point, the leading-edge float section isproperly pressurized and is close to entering or is just entering thewater, and the inflating process is repeated for each consecutive floatsection coming off the spool.

For the deployed float sections of the containment boom already in thewater, if the air pressure drops below 3 p.s.i., the filling valve willopen again and accept air from the incorporated air hose 14, which ismaintained at 3 p.s.i. If the air pressure in a float section increasesup to the emptying valve 16 threshold opening pressure of 6 p.s.i abovethe incorporated air hose pressure of 3 p.s.i., which is a float-sectionpressure of 9 p.s.i., the emptying valve 16 will open and allow pressureto escape into the incorporated air hose. The occurrence ofalready-deployed float sections taking pressure from or adding pressureto the incorporated air hose 14 affects the pressure in the incorporatedair hose as dips or surges in pressure, which are detected by thecontrol manifold 51 through the sensor 37 at a point at equal pressurewith the incorporated air hose. Dips of low pressure can be compensatedfor by the control manifold 51 further opening the low pressure airvalve 36 plus any intermediate valves needed, increasing the airpressure in the air hose. Surges of high pressure can be released by thecontrol manifold 51 opening the vacuum and release valve 38, briefly forbleeding off small surges to atmospheric pressure, or activating thevacuum source 42 to apply negative air pressure to any surge ofsufficient magnitude to warrant such remediation.

After deployment is completed, pressure in the several float sections ismaintained at between 3 and 9 p.s.i. through the operation of each floatsection's filling and emptying valves, with the incorporated air hose 14maintaining a pressure of 3 p.s.i.

In use, in a recovery operation of a preferred embodiment having thesame parameters, an operator would initiate recovery through the controldisplay 54. The control manifold 51 causes the spool motor 23 to rotatethe spool in the appropriate direction at the desired speed, recoveringthe containment boom. Simultaneously, the control manifold 51 closes thelow pressure air valve 36 and adjusts any intermediate pressure controlvalve or valves 32, 34 as needed, and activates the vacuum source 42 ifactivation is needed. While sensing the pressure in the pneumaticcontrol pathway 30 at a point 37 at equal pressure with the incorporatedair hose 14, the control manifold opens the vacuum and release valve 38,which has a vacuum behind it, in a constantly adjusted amount sufficientto apply a steady negative air pressure of −7 p.s.i. to the incorporatedair hose. That vacuum or negative pressure is sufficient to ensure theopening of each float section's emptying valve 16 at the thresholdpressure differential of 6 p.s.i. By maintaining a steady negative airpressure of −7 p.s.i., the vacuum on the incorporated air hose at thefloat section closest to being re-wound on the spool is sufficient todeflate that float section, but the vacuum is weakened to less than 6p.s.i. in the portions of the air hose more remote from the vacuumsource, and no air is extracted from the more remote float sectionsstill deployed in the water. The control manifold automaticallycoordinates the speed of the spool motor 23 with the amount of vacuumapplied in order to ensure that the closer float sections are deflatedwithout prematurely deflating more remote float sections still in thewater.

Referring to FIG. 11 & FIG. 12, in the use of a preferred embodiment ofthe invention in containing spilled oil 70 from on board a waterbornevessel, a determination is first made whether current and windconditions are such that deployed containment boom 10 will float in afavorable direction to be able to begin deploying the boom whileretaining the leading end of a lead line aboard the vessel, floating thedeployed containment boom around the spilled oil, and securing the leadline to a winch 71 in order to form a properly deployed boom. If currentand wind conditions are not favorable to floating the boom around thespilled oil 70, then an assist vessel 72 can be used to tow the leadingedge of the containment boom in the proper path to form a properlydeployed boom.

Many changes and modifications can be made in the present inventionwithout departing from the spirit thereof. We therefore pray that ourrights to the present invention be limited only by the scope of theappended claims.

We claim:
 1. A control system to coordinate operator-controlled speed ofdeployment and recovery of an on-board re-inflatable spool-woundcontainment boom having a plurality of linearly arranged inflatable anddeflatable float sections with air chambers, which are configured tohave automatically controlled inflation and deflation, the controlsystem comprising: a control manifold adapted to monitor and controlsensors, valves, spool motor, compressed air source, and vacuum source;a control display adapted to provide information to and accept commandsfrom an operator; a control manifold antenna and a control displayantenna for data communication between said control manifold and saidcontrol display; where said control manifold continually senses a rateat which the on-board re-inflatable containment boom is being deployedor recovered; where said control manifold continually senses positiveair pressure at intermediate points between the compressed air sourceand a pneumatic control pathway at a point at equal pressure with anincorporated air hose in the re-inflatable containment boom in thespool, and adjusts the air pressure at said intermediate points bycontrolling valves regulating positive air pressure and flow in astepping-down high-to-low pressure sequence, wherein the air hose ismaintained at a predetermined positive air pressure while the air hoseand the containment boom are wound on the spool before deployment of theboom, thereby allowing inflating a first off air chamber of thecontainment boom and then remainder of the containment boom air chamberssequentially as the containment boom is unwound from the spool; wheresaid control manifold continually senses the air pressure in thepneumatic control pathway at a point at equal pressure with theincorporated air hose in the re-inflatable containment boom in thespool, and adjusts the air pressure by controlling the valves regulatingpositive air pressure and a valve regulating vacuum and pressurerelease, in order to provide adequate positive or negative pressure andflow for deployment or recovery while avoiding overpressure conditionsby releasing excess pressure or applying a vacuum; where said controlmanifold monitors and adjusts the direction and speed of the spool motoraccording to operator commands, and monitors and adjusts the positive ornegative pressure applied by the pneumatic control pathway to theincorporated air hose in the re-inflatable containment boom in thespool, adapting to changing circumstances of atmospheric pressure, airand water temperatures and turbulence, speed of deployment or recovery,and size of boom, and provides updated optimal positive and negativepneumatic pressures to facilitate operation without damage to the boomand without premature or delayed inflation or deflation; and whereinsaid re-inflatable containment boom and is capable of being spooled whendeflated, and floats with the proper orientation of boom upper and lowerportions when inflated, wherein the incorporated air hose extends alongan entire length of the boom and is connected to all filling valves andall emptying valves of individual float sections of the re-inflatableboom, with an interior of the air hose being maintained at apre-determined positive air pressure while the boom and the air hose arewound on the spool before deployment of the boom; and wherein acontainment skirt is formed by the lower portion of the boom below theair hose and below said inflatable float sections.
 2. The control systemof claim 1 further comprising a control house.
 3. The control system ofclaim 1 further comprising a control manifold keyboard and controlmanifold display.
 4. The control system of claim 1 further comprising anobservation camera and observation camera display.
 5. The control systemof claim 1 further comprising a weather station and a weather andconditions display.
 6. The control system of claim 1 further comprisinga logged-data display.